I've been perpetually "watching what I eat" for as long as I can remember. And by saying that, I mean trying to eat healthy and lose weight. However, it occurred to me that I've always watched what I ate as I rarely eat with my eyes closed. The only time I close my eyes -- I mean, I don't want to miss anything good, do I? -- is when I'm savoring a particularly delectable morsel. Okay, technicalities. The general public assumes when we say we're watching what we eat it means that we're (1) trying to be healthy (2) lose weight (3) restrict our diet in some way as to improve our health for medical reasons or (4) a combination of any of the aforementioned.
I don't particularly like the word diet (although I use it on occasion) as I think it has negative connotations. Although technically speaking, our diet is anything that we eat. For example, a definition: the usual food and drink consumed by an organism (person or animal). Well, this organism has been trying to eat healthy and watch my caloric intake and not making the progress I've been hoping to achieve.
I'd been walking and doing weights at the YMCA for my exercise for quite a long time. The desired melting effect I was looking for .. well, it wasn't happening. What happened from that was indeed, unfortunate. I developed an attitudinal deficiency for a while. i.e. Bad attitude about exercising altogether. Ahem. Enough said.
But I'm over that now and back to seeking a better -- and hopefully more effective -- way to exercise.
Enter spin class and now core training. I've done core class three times now. It's still kicking me in my ... uh, stomach. But I think that's actually the point.
It's official, I'm a klutz. I've always known I'm an accident waiting to happen, and apparently, core class confirms it. Stephanie commented on face book that she was impressed I was doing core training. Now, how sweet and encouraging is that. Stephanie is such a sweetheart. She can also jog several miles all in a row and not collapse. But I still like her anyway. I'm the one who should be impressed with what she can do. I thanked her kindly and explained that ... Uh, she really shouldn't be too impressed. She wasn't there to see the fit ball go flying because it slipped out between my feet. Oh and there's the time that I sort of fell off the ball. Yeah. Real pretty. But they say it happens to everyone at first.
I'm counting on their advice that it takes everyone quite a while to "get into" doing the core class. Everyone struggles, they say. I am taking solace from those words. Particularly, after today's session. While on my back trying to do a particularly excruciatingly painful move, the fit ball slipped from between my knees. I sort of said rather loudly, "Incoming!" as the ball shot across the floor -- directly at the instructor's head. I hoisted myself up off the floor and managed to nab the ball before it actually hit her. I think. She merely smiled and said, "Don't worry. Everyone loses the fit ball now and then". I smiled in return and thought to myself , "But this is getting to be a habit with me."
My first inclination was...this is not good. Not good at all. Then the thought sprang to mind -- so what! I may be less than graceful and I'm certainly not able to do all the moves right now, but I surely never will if I quit. And I'm not quitting. I'm just going to be klutzy and weak until I get better at it. Because I'm building a habit here. Hopefully, not the one where the ball goes zooming across the room at some one's head, but a habit of exercise and good health.
So, here's to healthy eating (with the occasional treat, of course. I haven't lost my taste buds.) and exercise, dear friends. What are your favorite healthy recipes and ways to get exercise fit into your schedule?
Blessings,
Susan
P.S. You'll love Stephanie, even if she can jog several miles at a time. You can find out about her and her books at her website. She also has a blog.
